WRAP IT UP Beautifying Bayonne By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Stephanie Petersen and Max Ryazansky
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n 2017, Bayonne put out the call to local artists to create work on utility boxes in a citywide beautification program that was coordinated by Bayonne’s Urban Enterprise Zone. Bayonne photographer Stephanie Petersen was inspired. “Before my life as a mom, I was working in cosmetic advertising for Macy’s Herald Square. We would sell ad space on the front of an elevator or the front door and obviously the windows, but even on the floor. We were
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getting creative with sticking advertisements on structures that you normally wouldn’t stick an advertisement on,” Petersen says, “I was inspired by that; by buses being wrapped and subway turnstiles. You can put a sign anywhere. I know it’s a little strange, but I love that. I thought, I take photos, so why not wrap a utility box?” Her proposal was chosen for the project. Petersen used a photo of a train pulling out of the 9th Street Station paired with a picture she took of train tracks to wrap a utility box on Broadway and 8th Street near Bayonne Museum. “I guess people liked it because they asked me to come and do this building in the
same style,” Petersen says. The building houses restrooms in Dennis P. Collins Park at 1st Street, overlooking the Kill Van Kull in the shadow of Bayonne Bridge.
Local History “Since I’m interested in history, I used historical photos of the bridge,” Petersen says. The result looks modern and fresh, but leans into local history, giving the work a universal appeal. “I’ve gotten a really good response from people; older people and younger people.” Petersen completed the initial project in 2017, but last spring the building was damaged. She was contacted and asked to do it all over again after repairs were completed.
Take Two “It enabled me to do it again and apply some new ideas based on what worked before,” Petersen explains. This means the addition of metal molding along the bottom of the building to prevent damage from weed whackers in the spring and summer. Petersen also took the opportunity to source new images for the project. There are four photos used on the four sides of the building. Previously, the building was wrapped in one image of the Bayonne Bridge being built. The new version maintains the same aesthetic as the first mural but has more interesting details.
